Investigators: Starr Elementary teacher charged with stalking student, sent her letters
A teacher at Starr Elementary School has been charged with stalking an 11-year-old female student.
According to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, on Monday, July 8, detectives found Dylan Dukes had been inappropriately communicating with an 11-year-old former female student.
Dukes is being held at the Anderson County Detention Center, awaiting a bond hearing.
District Three and Starr Elementary School have taken action to ensure student safety.
"Upon learning of the investigation, the teacher was placed on administrative leave under our district policies," said Kathy D. Hipp, superintendent of Anderson School District Three, in a statement.
What to know about the investigation?
The Anderson County Sheriff's Office found evidence of multiple instances of inappropriate communication between Dukes and the 11-year-old former student.
Detectives were alerted on Monday, July 8, that 27-year-old Dukes had sent over 60 "love letters" to an 11-year-old former student at Starr Elementary.
According to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, before summer break, Dukes gave the 11-year-old a personalized box with a letter for each day of the week during summer break.
He then became a member of the 11-year-old's church after realizing she would no longer be his student at Starr Elementary, according to the Anderson County Sheriff's Department.
Upon surveying his classroom, detectives found that Dukes possessed many non-sexual photos of the 11-year-old stowed away in his desk.
"The district fully cooperated with law enforcement in its investigation and counseling services, and additional support is available to any students or staff needing assistance," Hipp said.
Message from the leadership of District Three and Starr Elementary
In light of recent discoveries of teacher Dylan Dukes inappropriately communicating with an 11-year-old former female student, Anderson School District Three Superintendent Kathy Hipp and Starr Elementary School Principal Ashlea Hatcher stated on the school's Facebook page.
Both Hipp and Hatcher expressed their sympathy for the situation and that the safety and well-being of students was their highest priority.
"As principal, one of my top priorities is to build a relationship of trust with you all by maintaining and increasing open communication," Hatcher said.
How are teachers vetted?
Certified staff teacher vetting starts with the state and involves an extensive background check to ensure the candidate's suitability.
Administrative staff then contacts and reviews candidates' references from prior employers to evaluate the applicant's history.
Candidates are also checked against the national sexual offender registry to ensure student safety.
"In this case, Dylan Dukes had a clean background check," Hipp said.
What is administrative leave?
The superintendent explained if the school or district feels a teacher does not need to be around a child or children due to an incident, "we will put that employee on administrative leave."
Administrative leave involves removing the teacher from their duties while the investigation is ongoing to ensure that students remain safe and the matter is thoroughly examined.
"Even though school is not currently in session, we follow these procedures to ensure the employees know they aren't supposed to be on school or district property," Hipp said.
She expressed that employee administrative leave also gives us time to investigate and have time to take the next steps thoroughly.
What are the next steps?
Anytime a school or district employee is involved in a criminal case, the state board will subpoena the school to obtain information regarding the crime.
"As soon as we found out about a situation regarding a teacher, we made everything available," Hipp said.
The superintendent expressed that parents, community members, or teachers should contact the school or district if they are concerned about someone in their administration or school staff.
School counseling available
Starr Elementary School has hired a district mental health counselor to work throughout the district, as well as counselors through the Department of Mental Health and Anderson County board.
"This gives us a dedicated employee to integrate the program and situations like this one without having to face any issues or extra paperwork to get the process started," Hipp said.
The superintendent said you should contact the school principal or the district office if you need assistance with this situation or any situation.
"We want to work together to process this situation and make sure we continue to have a strong district," Hipp said.
Travis Rose covers Anderson County for the Independent Mail. Reach him via email at trose@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Anderson County teacher charged with stalking ex-student, sent letters
